Distress Call
by Skybird13
Summary: After the Great Battle, it seems like everything is at peace. However, poor Ivypool, kidnapped by a group of savage rogues, gets thrown into a chaos of pain and heartbreak that she can't escape. Her only ray of hope is to cry out... and hope someone can hear her. Rated T for mild adult themes
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

There was no hope for her. There was no escape from this torture.

If only Dovewing would save her. If only she could use her powers to detect her cries of agony. But she was probably too far away. Maybe if she hadn't trusted him, she would've been safe from this...

She didn't even know where she was.

No. They were coming.

She'd be wracked with pain again.

If only Dovewing could hear.

_Somebody hear me!_

_Pain._

_Torture._

_Lots and lots of blood._

_Help me... anybody..._

She quickly lost all feeling in her limbs.

Then she blacked out.

* * *

Chapter 1

Ivypool was in a foul mood. Sure, she had just saved the four Clans by spying on the Dark Forest, but that didn't make her any better than her sister. Apparently being "one of the Three" was much more honorable than risking your life every night and being physically hurt every day. Plus, all the toms were flirting with Dovewing, too busy to even glance her way.

She tromped through the forest, scaring off all the prey. She didn't care. At least, not at the moment. Even if she caught a badger for the Clan, no one would notice anyway. They'd be too busy praising her prettier, goody-two-shoes sister instead.

She stopped, however, when she scented something strange. It smelled like... a loner... and something else. Curious, she cautoiusly stalked closer to the source of the smell. It was probably dangerous to go on her own, but she was trained in the Dark Forest, so how bad could it be?

It was farther away than she thought, and she found herself being led away from ThunderClan territory. Gradually the trees thinned and spread out, showing her a span of territory she'd never been to before. For the first time she noticed marks in the grass showing that something was dragged through the area. At first, she was reluctant to go on, but curiosity got the better of her. After all, it could be a threat to the Clans!

Ivypool padded on, ignoring the brisk wind that sent shivers down her spine. It was a lot more open here, almost like WindClan territory. She wondered what she would find, and enjoyed the sense of adventure radiating about her actions. It was just like the time she had explored the tunnels with Blossomfall. Thrilling and scary, but fun.

She stopped in her tracks when a sharp odor stung her nostrils_. Blood!_

Racing toward the smell now, she could hear shallow breathing. Whoever it was, they were hurt, and badly. She felt a sudden wave of adrenaline rush through her, and she pushed forward with incredible speed. She ran so fast she almost tripped over a black-furred she-cat.

Ivypool skidded to a halt before she hit her, and instantly her paws were soaked with blood. She recognized her instantly.

_Nightcloud!_

Blood was gushing out of fresh wounds, pouring out onto the grass, staining it scarlet. Nightcloud wasn't moving, her chest showing no signs of breathing. Ivypool's breath caught in her throat as she stared at her shredded pelt, but she snapped out of her shocked state immediately.

"Nightcloud?"

There was no response. The black she-cat simply stared lifelessly up at the sky, unmoving.

_She's been dead, long before I got here, _she thought, placing a paw on her flank. _How can she still be bleeding so hard? ...the plot thickens._

Ivypool's mind started pulling her back toward ThunderClan, convincing her to leave at once. But her heart, as reckless and adventurous as it was, fought back.

_I should go back. This is definitely dangerous._

_No way! I need to know what happened!_

_ThunderClan will miss you!_

_Bah. They've got stupid Dovewing._

_At least go and take a patrol with you!_

_No time. Besides, this thing could be a danger to the Clan._

_...fine._

Ivypool cracked her mouth open slightly, letting air flood her scent glands. Definitely a cat. Or more than one, but no foxes. She traced the path, which led away from the direction she came from. Rechecking to make sure her course was correct, she turned back to the corpse. Though Nightcloud was never her favorite cat, she deserved a burial.

* * *

As she continued walking, the trees thickened to the point that it was more densely packed than ThunderClan vegetation. Brambles clung to her pelt, ripping at it and ensnaring her. She would claw ferosiously at it, only to find herself face-to-face with a tree. Spitting and hissing in anger, she trudged onward.

Her stomach growled hungrily, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since dawn. It was almost sun-down.

Instinctively she crouched, listening for any sign of prey scuttling around in the leaves. She detected a mouse near the roots of a tree, nibbling on some kind of seed. Creeping closer, she prepared to pounce, wriggling her haunches. She pushed off the ground and leapt, sailing toward her prey, until something scared it off last second.

"Fox-dung!"

Ivypool hit the ground with no prey under her claws. The sudden insult didn't come from her, but from something nearby.

"Ugh! Let's get out of the forest as soon as we can! I hate the undergrowth."

Her ears perked, and she crouched low to the ground, slinking forward silently. They were very close now.

"Shut up, Fang."

She peeked through a bush and gasped silently. There were about twenty or so cats, all treading through the throns and thistles, muttering curses under their breath. They all looked bulky and large, menacing and greedy for power. The tom who seemed to be in charge was a black cat with amber eyes.

"Shadow, do we really have to take this route?" a massive white tom with a brown tail tip complained, shaking his paw free from a brambe tendril. The black cat whipped around at him arching his back and growling.

"Do you question my orders?" he threatened, unsheathing his claws. He looked slightly familiar to Ivypool, but she couldn't quite put her paw on it. The other cat immediately dropped his head respectfully.

"I apologize, sir," he answered, not looking up from the ground. "I simply don't quite understand why we are heading for the lake." The other toms muttered their agreement, and Shadow gave them all an annoyed glance.

"We need more recruits," he said simply, licking his paw. "And what better than kits to teach them our ways? We are heading to the lake because there happen to be many kits in the Clans."

"You expect us to steal from those savages?" a reddish tabby exclaimed.

"In a word, yes."

Ivypool let this sink in for a second. _The Clans were in danger! _Another wave of anticipation flooded through her, but this time, she decided it was much too late to stay out much longer.

Slowly she backed away from the cats picking their way through the thick vegetation, breathing a sigh of relief when no one noticed her slinking away. Still keeping her eyes on the rogues, she padded backwards, very slowly. When she was far enough away to make noise without being heard, she turned and raced back the way she came.

She took about eight steps before something barreled into her. She hit the ground with a painful thud.

"Ow!"

The cat on top of her jumped when he saw her, and leaped off of her immediately. He walked closer, a curious look on his face.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were a squirrel," he began, sitting down and curling his tail around his paws. Ivypool bristled, glaring at him warily and taking a step back.

"Do I look like a squirrel to you?" she hissed, arching her back. The tom, a light brown tabby with green eyes, looked her up and down before lauging.

"Actually, you do," he chuckled, clearly wanting a reaction out of her. She forced her fur to lay flat, then sat down as well. The tabby tom licked his paw and drew it over his ear.

"So, what's your name?" he mewed, looking at her. Ivypool narrowed her eyes.

"Why so curious?" she retorted, wrapping her tail tightly around her paws. The tom got up and started circling her, making her feel slightly uncomfortable. He stopped, sitting down again, even closer than before.

"I just want to know," he said, with a friendly twinkle in his eye, "And besides, I'm part of that rogue group over there. I could always call them over, and none of them are as friendly as I am."

Ivypool shifted away from him, not meeting his forest-green eyes. "If you must know," muttered through her teeth, "My name is Ivypool." The light brown tom eyed her disbelievingly.

"_Ivypool? _Your name is Ivypool?" he mewed, slightly shaking his head in amusement. "As in, a pool of ivy? That's such a weird name."

"Weird? It is _not _weird!" she spat, inching away from him. "In fact, yours is probably much stranger in the Clans." The tom suddenly looked more alert.

"You're from the Clans?" he hissed, backing away, "You're one of those barbaric cats?" Ivypool found herself bristling again.

"The Clans are _not _barbaric!" she growled, unsheathing her claws. "We don't kill for no reason, or steal kits, like you rogues do!'

The tom relaxed a bit, sitting back down. To Ivypool's relief he sat at a respectful distance this time.

"So, the Clans, huh? I'm Jasper." Ivypool forced herself not to laugh at his strange name. "What? Jasper's a great name?"

"So is Ivypool," she added, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, a weird name for a weird cat!" he laughed, teasing her. She laughed a bit, too, warming up to the tom.

"That's it!" she shouted, jumping on him with sheathed claws. Jasper was stunned for a heartbeat, then smiled and flipped her over. Ivypool regained her balance quickly and jumped at him again.

* * *

The sun was already down by the time Ivypool made it back to camp. In fact, it was almost moonhigh. However, she knew Bramblestar would forgive her after she told him the news. Of course she didn't report what happened with Jasper, she did, however, convince him to increase patrols and a guard for the nursery.

Jasper's words still echoed in the back of her mind.

_"Would you like to do this again?"_

She didn't know why she felt so comfortable with a rogue she had hardly met. Maybe it was his friendliness.

_"The teasing or the whole 'I looked like a squirrel' thing?"_

She just couldn't get his eyes out of her head.

_"Both."_

_"Alright. It couldn't hurt anyone, right?"_

_"It'll be a little secret."_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Two moons later, the rogues still hadn't shown up in ThunderClan territory. Ivypool met with Jasper countless times, each time getting closer as friends (and something else), and also distance-wise. Each time Ivpool traveled less and less to find him, until they were only an hour's walk from the edge of territory. It began to worry her, and every time she tried to talk Jasper into helping her. He merely shrugged and said, "I'll see what I can do."

Ivypool stretched, reluctant to get out of her nest. Beside her, Foxleap slept happily, curling his fluffy tail over her lean body. She rolled her eyes and smiled, shaking his tail off of her back. Everyone in the Clan assumed they were mates and even expected Ivypool to be moved to the nursery anytime now, when really, they were more like siblings to each other.

She padded out of her den, refreshed by the cool breeze in the stone hollow. Her gaze watched the half-awake Clan as they gossiped and scurried about the camp. Bumblestripe was flirting with Dovewing as usual, and Toadstep glared at him, a few fox-lengths away. Cherrypaw was playing with Seedkit and Lilykit, floundering around the nursery. Squirrelflight, coughing, was retreating to the medicine cat den, and Graystripe was eating a vole. It seemed like that was all he ever did. He'd surely be moved to the elder's den soon.

Ivypool turned when she heard someone call her name. Spinning around, she saw Bramblestar motioning for her to pad closer, Jayfeather at his side. She obeyed.

"What is it, Bramblestar?" she asked cheerily, obviously in a good mood. However, he looked troubled, and Jayfeather had a petrified look on his face. Bramblestar looked around to see if anyone was nearby.

"Come to my den," he hissed quietly, startling her with his seriousness. She nodded, and he led the three of them up the Highledge and into his den.

As soon as they were inside, Bramblestar glanced at Jayfeather and nodded. Ivypool, confused, twitched her ear.

"Ivypool..." the medicine cat started, staring through her with blind eyes, "I have word from StarClan."

She stiffened. Could StarClan know about her secret meetings with Jasper? Was that why they called her in?

"Actually, I don't even know if it was StarClan or not. It was just... well, you were lying in a pool of blood," Jayfeather's voice quivered slightly. "It was... I didn't know what was happening. You were being attacked by something, and you were screaming, but no sound was coming out of your mouth. And then there was laughter, and then I heard Leafpool scream, then Lionblaze, and then something slashed open my throat." His eyes were huge, and his fur was bristled up. Ivypool found herself shuddering, despite the fact that it was a mere dream. Bramblestar squeezed his eyes shut for a few heartbeats before looking into her eyes.

"We believe this means that you, Leafpool, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather are in danger," he stated, resting his tail tip comfortingly on Jayfeather's shoulder. The blind tabby glared at him, then shook him off. "and that you would be attacked by something. I don't want to scare you, but I think you would do well to be on your guard. Beware of foxes, badgers, the other Clans, or even the rogue group for that matter. And also..." He trailed off, looking at Jayfeather.

"You need to sleep in the medicine cat den each night," the silver tabby said, finishing the leader's sentence. "I think that maybe some remaining Dark Forest cats might target you and the others in your dreams. I'll try to keep them away by asking StarClan to protect the den from them. Lionblaze and Leafpool will also be there."

Ivypool widened her eyes in disbelief. _Me... attacked? _However, it did make sense that the Dark Forest wanted revenge for her treachery, or that the rogue group might kill her in an attempt to steal ThunderClan kits. Either way, she needed to be careful.

"You are free to go," mewed Bramblestar. "Just remember what we told you."

* * *

"Jasper?"

It was almost moonhigh. The latest time that she had ever met with Jasper, and he was late as always. This time, they were going to meet at the edge of ThunderClan territory. It frightened her a bit, that they were so close to her home, and it tore her apart to think that she and this tom could be enemies in a matter of days. She was also distantly aware that she was breaking the warrior code. But none of that mattered.

Ivypool hit the ground as something jumped onto her.

"Sorry, thought you were a squirrel."

She rolled her eyes and reared back, flipping her ambusher over with ease. She turned and landed on the brown tom's back, pinning him.

"Whoops. I thought you were an acorn!" she teased, swatting him over the head and letting him back up. Jasper laughed and nuzzled her with his head.

"I missed you," he whispered suddenly.

"I missed you too," she purred, licking his cheek. She looked into his green eyes with sadness. "But I don't know if we'll be able to do this much longer."

Jasper sighed in agreement. They were much too close to the Clans to keep on. He would do anything for Ivypool, but boundaries were too strong between the two of them. He closed his eyes, savoring the moments spent with her.

Ivypool looked away. "Do you think..." she started, growing quiet, "Do you think you can help me protect the Clan?"

The tabby pressed against him, growing colder at the thought of meeting Jasper in battle.

"It's alright," he mewed comfortingly, resting his tail across her shoulders, "you told me ThunderClan only has she-kits right now, and Shadow only wants male recruits. He... kills any female cat that joins the ranks. Trust me, I know." His eyes grew distant, remembering some kind of painful memory. Ivypool pressed her nose into his fur, attempting to comfort him. She grew brighter when she remembered what she needed to tell him.

"Guess what?" she bubbled suddenly, changing the subject. Jasper cocked his head to the side.

"What?" he meowed questioningly. She could hardly contain her excitement.

"I'm expecting," she whispered happily. He looked stunned for a second, then practically bounced in joy.

"Oh, Ivypool! This is wonderful!" he purred, nuzzling her again. She smiled and buried her face in his fur. Over the course of two moons they had become much more than friends. She looked up, expecting to find green eyes filled with happiness, but instead she found disappointment begin to cloud his eyes.

"What will we do?" he hissed sadly, turning away from her. "This will never work out. Your Clan would never accept this." He flicked his tail sadly.

Realization hit her with a pang, even if she subconsciously knew this would happen the entire time. She looked down at the ground, wondering what was to come for her and her kits.

"Obviously I can't just join your Clan; they would never accept me. And I can't ask you to come with me, either; Shadow is against Clan cats," he turned back to her, tears filling his eyes. "I don't know what we should do. We can't keep meeting for much longer. They'll find out."

Ivypool reluctantly nodded her agreement. She'd never felt the same way with any other tom. Why did it have to be a rogue?

"We have to stop this."

She looked up with shock at his words.

"Ivypool... this is goodbye."

* * *

**Heheheh... that was a bit rushed. Short chapter, huh? And especially the fluff at the end? I'm sorry for pushing Ivy and Jasper together so fast. Kits! Seriously? It's only the second chapter and already there's kits! Wow... and I think Jayfeather was a bit OOC in the beginning with the dream, don't you think? Ugh... I'm so terrible at making chapters longer, and I always rush to the action. Bear with me! The action part will hopefully begin in a chapter or two, and then they will start to get longer... hopefully...**

**~Sky**


	3. Chapter 3

Ivypool grunted as Seedkit jumped onto her back. Lilykit joined her, squealing in excitement. A quarter moon had passed, and she was looking rounder each day. According to Jayfeather, she was a moon and a half along, and the kits would probably come in another half-moon. Personally she thought she belonged with the rest of the Clan, but Foxleap insisted that she stayed in the nursery. He was bursting with joy when she told him that she was expecting his kits, and it only took five heartbeats until the whole Clan knew about it. It didn't help that she was constantly watched over by Jayfeather and Bramblestar, who were still paranoid about the dream. Jayfeather offered to move her to his den, in case of any Dark Forest cats, but she declined. It had already been a whole quater moon. Surely the threat had passed?

A piece of her heart had been crushed to a thousand shards when she stopped meeting Jasper. Of course it was for the best... but she couldn't help but wish things had been different.

Foxleap poked his head into the nursery. He purred as he padded to her side, giving her a quick lick on her ears.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, touching his nose to her cheek. Ivypool hadn't realized that he loved her so dearly until after she stopped meeting Jasper. She had always assumed that they were just friends, but now she knew what the russet-colored tom really wanted. With a pang of guilt she was reminded that she didn't feel the same towards him; her heart would always lie with a certain light brown tom. How long could she keep lying to him?

"I'm fine, you overprotective furball," she mewed playfully, swatting at his ears with her tail. "Honestly, Foxleap. It's not like Seedkit will eat me or anything."

Seedkit's eyes stretched wide at the thought of eating her Clanmate, and she shook her head in disgust. Both Foxleap and Ivypool purred in amusement, and Lilykit, still hopping on top of Ivypool, took a catious step away from her possibly canniballistic sister.

"Well," the reddish tom mewed, "I'm going hunting. See you later." He licked her forehead and stepped out of the nursery. Seedkit bounced and slid down the older silver-and-white she-cat's side.

Ivypool decided to walk around camp to stretch her legs. She got up, and Lilykit tumbled off of her and on top on her sister. As she exited, she caught a glimpse of Bumblestripe's bushy tail exiting the camp, followed by Leafpool and Jayfeather. _They must be collecting herbs,_ she decided.

She headed for the fresh-kill pile, stopping now and then to talk to somebody. Dovewing skipped up to her as she selected a thrush, her fluffy gray pelt even fluffier than the day before.

"Hey Ivypool," she bubbled, touching her nose to her sister's ear. "Where's Foxleap? Last I saw him he was clinging to you like a burr." Ivypool shook her head, amusement flickering in her eyes.

"He's gone hunting," she replied, then proceeded to flick Dovewing's ear with her tail tip. "Did Bumblestripe go out to help collect herbs? I could say the same to you about him never leaving your side."

The gray warrior rolled her eyes. "Of course. I asked Jayfeather to take him out. With him around, I barely ever have time to talk with you!" She sat down next to the silver-and-white tabby, curling her tail around her paws. Ivypool purred and pushed her thrush toward her sister.

"Want to share?" she mewed around a mouthful of feathers. Dovewing shook her head.

"I don't like birds as much as I do mice," she stated, reaching for a mouse on the pile. "I hate eating around the feathers."

Ivypool playfully nudged her sister with a forepaw. "But you're _Dovewing_," she laughed. "You're named after a bird! You must eat it!" She hooked a handful of feathers with her claws and dropped them onto her mouse. The pretty she-cat looked up in mock horror.

"How dare you!" she gasped dramatically, cuffing her sister over the ears. Ivypool ducked her head to avoid her paw.

"Missed me!" she purred, expecting another attempt. When there was no reply, she looked at her sister in confusion.

Dovewing's eyes were unfocused, and her ears were pricked as if she were listening intently. Ivypool stayed quiet as her sister's senses focused on another part of the forest. Suddenly her cloudy eyes darkened and gazed at her sister. "Somebody's hurt," she whispered.

"What?" the silvery tabby meowed. She smelled the fear-scent on her sister, and then a wave of anxiety for her clanmates rushed through her. Was Bumblestripe okay? And Jayfeather? "Who? Who's hurt?"

The fluffy warrior's fur was bristling in tension. "Leafpool."

At that moment there was a loud yowl from the thorn tunnel. Bumblestripe dashed into the center of the camp, one of his ears missing and his flank heaving.

"We're under attack!"

Confused and horrified sounds erupted from the cats in the hollow. Foxleap shouldered his way out from behind Bumblestripe, bleeding heavily from his shoulder. He approached Ivypool and pushed her in the direction of the nursery.

Ivypool bristled. "I want to fight, too!" she hissed as Foxleap shoved her into the den.

He gazed at her, his eyes full of sadness. "Leafpool's dead," he croaked. The silver-and-white she-cat gasped. Her mate continued. "The rogues killed her. They're dangerous, and you're weakened by our kits. I need you safe." He nuzzled her and pelted into the center of camp.

Cinderheart, who sat in the back of the den, crouched protectively in front of Seedkit and Lilykit. Their mother was no where to be found.

Ivypool backed into position beside the wise she-cat, never wrenching her eyes away from the entrance to the den. She would claw the pelt of any rogue who stepped inside. Any rogue except for a certain light brown tabby tom, that is...

She bristled as battle cries sounded in the camp. From a hole in the nursery wall, she could just make out what was happening. _Great StarClan! _she screamed inside her mind. _There's too many of them! _

Lilykit wailed behind her, and Seedkit's fur was puffed out in fear. The fear scent in the den was almost too much. Any cat could see that they were extremely vulnerable.

Just then a massive tom with ugly orange and gray patches crashed through the entrance. His eyes glinted with malice as he stalked forward. Then he stopped in his tracks.

"Only she-kits," he growled, unsheathing his claws. "So Jasper was telling the truth." He glanced at Ivypool and Cinderheart for a heartbeat.

Ivypool unsheathed her claws and raked them across his face. He hissed and pounced on her, claws digging into her side. She cried out in pain as he slashed again. Suddenly the weight on her was gone, and she looked up to see Cinderheart battling him ferociously. Ivypool joined her, and together they forced him out of the nursery.

"Hey! Get away from our camp!"

Ivypool turned in surprise. Seedkit was feebly clawing at a large ginger tabby, while Lilykit cowered away from a lean, dark-colored tom with amber eyes. They had torn holes in the walls and had entered through the back. Ivypool recognized him right away.

"You," she hissed, taking a defensive step closer to the kits. It was the leader of this barbaric group, and he was glaring at the two she-kits.

"What a pity that ThunderClan only has she-kits," he growled. Then he fixed his gaze on the two queens with their round bellies. "However, I'm sure we can make do with you two."

Ivypool froze in shock, then backed away as the bulky ginger rogue started advancing toward her. When she turned to flee, the tom she fought before was blocking the exit. She watched in horror as the orange-and-gray tom clouted Cinderheart in the side of the head, knocking her unconscious. The ginger tom pounced at the silver-and-white queen, knocking her to the ground. Jaws snapped around her scruff, drawing blood and sending pain shooting across her spine. She watched as the ugly tom dragged Cinderheart out of the nursery, and then felt herself being dragged as well.

She felt a paw at her throat, pressing harder until she saw stars in her head. As she blacked out, she could just make out the sounds of the battle and the wails of the two she-kits.

* * *

**TROLOLOLOLOL**

**Doesn't everybody loooove cliffhangers? xD I know, I know, you guys will hate me for this. But at least you got some action, right?**

**So yeah... Leafpool's dead, the camp's been attacked, and ThunderClan's pregnant queens have been cat-napped! What's next? A ridiculously stupid Author's Note?**

**Well... thanks for all your support! I'll need it.**

**~Sky**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that this chapter is in Dovewing's POV.**

**Also, I have a question. I always thought Lionblaze would be the perfect villain because he's practically unstoppable, and I was going to write a fanfic about him becoming evil (sort of; An evil Dark Forest cat takes over his body or something) and he tries to rule all four Clans. Erm... is that a weird idea? Because I always saw Lionblaze as having potential to be a bad guy. :/ Is it just me?**

**Anyway...**

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!**

* * *

Chapter 4  
Screeches of fury and confusion sounded from every which way, making Dovewing's head hurt. Her senses were acting up again, and because of it she was getting pretty beat up out there.

_I hope Ivypool and Bumblestripe are okay, _she thought as she sliced her claws down a white rogue's back. He hissed and jumped at her, but she dodged the blow and clawed at him again. Leaping onto his back, she dug her claws into his sides and clung there. The large white tom yelped in pain, then purposefully fell backwards, landing on the gray warrior and winding her. He continued to crush her with his weight, until she let out a muffled cry and let herself fall limp. When her opponent let out a cry of triumph and shifted his weight a tiny bit. But that tiny bit was enough.

Dovewing reared up, freeing herself, and resumed scoring her claws down his side. She buried her teeth in his tail, not letting go until he let out a cry of rage and pelted away. She had two heartbeats to savor her victory when a big burly cat crashed into her side, toppling her over. For a brief second she shreiked in surprise, but then foul-smelling grayish fur muffled her cry. Clearly the tom had been fighting with a ThunderClan warrior and lost his balance, because he immediately sat up to return to claw at his enemy. Dovewing scrambled to her paws, scanning the battlefield in curiosity. She realized that the group attacking ThunderClan consisted of only toms, and no she-cats. She frowned slightly.

Then a flash of striped fur met her eye. _Bumblestripe!_ She caught a glimpse of her mate being backed into the stone sides of the hollow, fiercely attacked by three different toms. Spitting in fury, the pretty gray warrior weaved through the writhing cats around her as fast as her legs could go. When she got close, she jumped at the nearest of the three, a steel-colored tom with more fur than muscle. She hauled him off of Bumblestripe, then proceeded to claw at the other two's faces. The dark brown tom whirled at her in rage, bristling and turning his attention off of her mate. Before she had time to react, he shoved her to the ground and pinned her, baring his teeth.

Dovewing panicked and thrashed her limbs underneath her, attempting to free herself. She was unsuccessful. Suddenly she felt hot breath at her ear, smelling foul as if he ate crowfood.

"What are you doing out in the battle, _she-cat?_" he sneered, watching as she struggled beneath him. "Shouldn't you be hiding in the nursery? It's very dangerous out here, you know; your pretty little pelt could get scarred." To add to his words, he sank his dirty claws deep into her shoulders. She cried out, half in pain and half in anger; she absolutely hated when toms thought themselves higher than she-cats.

A quick plan formed into her head, and she lowered her head in submission, stopping her violent thrashes. The tom chuckled, loosening his grip on her. "Clever she-cat," he snickered. "Maybe I'll take you home with me; you're quite amusing."

Once Dovewing felt free enough to counter, she reared back with all of her strength, taking her opponent by surprise. He let out a hiss of confusion as she clawed at him and dodged his feeble attempts to hurt her. Lunging forward, she raked her claws down from his forehead to his nose. Blood spurted out of the torn skin, gushing warm and sticky onto her claws. The tom's yowl of fury drowned all of the thoughts out of her head. In her moment of panic, she froze, petrified at the pure rage eminating from his voice.

In one fluid motion, she found herself pinned again, this time her soft belly exposed and vulnerable. Pain seared through her as sharp, mud-encrusted claws tore down her stomach.

"Now you've really done it," the dark brown tom breathed, his voice frighteningly quiet. "When Shadow takes over your stupid Clan, I'll make sure you learn some manners." He slashed open her belly again.

Dovewing unsheathed the claws on her hind leg and kicked at her attacker madly. He yowled in pain, but didn't loosen his grip like before. A sense of dread washed over her as the tom bared his teeth in a snarl, bending his head down to her neck to deliver the killing bite.

His teeth never met her throat. Bumblestripe had fought of his other enemy and, seeing Dovewing in danger, had hauled him off of the fluffy gray she-cat. The foul-smelling tom turned on him, preparing to strike, when a loud yowl echoed to every corner of the camp.

Dovewing turned her head to the sound and saw a lean, dark-colored rogue on the Highledge. Her fur bristled. How dare he stand in a place of such honor?

The fighting died down and turned to look at him.

"We've taken what we wanted," he yowled in victory. "Head back to the camp!"

Cheering and confusion swept through the hollow; the rogues retreating quickly with smirks on their faces, and ThunderClan cats pondering what they wanted in the first place. Dovewing also was taken aback by their actions. Didn't the dark brown tom say that this "Shadow" character would try to take over their Clan?

Little did she know that three toms were dragging away two she-cats out of the back exit at that moment.

She turned to look at her mate, whose eyes reflected her own confusion. What exactly did they take?

Her question was answered as Foxleap trotted into the nursery only to dash out with his pelt fluffed out in horror. "They... they've taken Ivypool and Cinderheart!"

Shocked and angry screeches sounded from the battle-scarred cats. Bramblestar clambered onto the Highledge, calling for attention.

Dovewing's world went fuzzy. The rogues had... taken... her sister? She missed the leader's announcement of sending a patrol after them, her thoughts hazy.

Just as Bramblestar was about to send the patrol after them, it began to rain. Dovewing shrank against Bumblestripe for comfort, her eyes widening in horror as the rain began pelting down by the gallons. The scents... all washed away.

Ivypool was gone.

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**Hello, my lovely readers! Don't you all LOVE my cliffhangers? Teehee.  
**

**A message to cinnamonstarbucks: Thank you so much for supporting my story! You've been reviewing so much! It's really helpful. Also, Lionblaze wouldn't be the evil one, but his body would be taken over, or he would become blackmailed by the Dark Forest. Maybe they'd kill him and steal his body, or kidnap Hollyleaf and threaten to kill her again. xD By the way, I love your username. **

**~Sky**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello. I left you on quite the cliffhanger, eh? Don't worry... be happy! This chapter will have more interesting stuff in it.**

**Rebellegirl left me a review! :D You have no idea how happy I am! I love your 'Win a Date With Ivypool' and how it's funny yet has plot twists at the same time. And it's okay... I also hate when people ship Ivypool with Ocs and make her have kits, but it's the only way to make this story work. :/ Personally I liked IvyXFoxleap. Idk.****  
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Chapter 5

Ivypool opened her eyes. It was dark.

Actually, it was so dark that she thought her eyes were still closed. So she tried re-opening them, but to no avail.

She faintly remembered being attacked and knocked out. Suddenly, it dawned on her that she wasn't in ThunderClan.

She stood up with a start, wincing as a wave of pain flooded her head. She toppled over, landing on a mound of fur. With a jolt she recognized her scent as Cinderheart's. Scrambling off of her clanmate, she blinked and looked around. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, her memories slowly filtered back to her. She remembered talking to Dovewing... Foxleap pushing her into the nursery... protecting the kits... and the dark-colored tom with evil eyes.

_Shadow. _With the strain in her mind wearing off, she put two and two together. She'd been kidnapped for her unborn kits, along with Cinderheart. _Are Seedkit and Lilykit okay? _she wondered, squinting in the darkness.

Ivypool's vision finally returned to her, allowing her to observe her surroundings. She was in a cave-like hole, with one tunnel leading out. It was quite small, and the walls were made of dirt; it seemed that there were no rogues sharing the den. The closed space was dank and musty, reeking of decay. Silently padding to the entrance of the den, she peeked out. There was a guard standing a tail-length away, his back to her. Looking past his reddish fur, she recognized the place.

There was a huge number of cats sleeping and guarding the dark cave. There was one hole in the ceiling high above, letting in the faintest trace of moonlight. She could only make out one exit: a tunnel winding down into the ground. There was a rushing river in the middle of the large cave.

_The tunnels! _she thought, eyes wildly scanning her surroundings. _I'm in one of the caves in the tunnels!_

The guard stationed in front of her shifted a bit, nodding in acknowledgement of someone approaching. Quickly, Ivypool ducked back into the den, listening.

"Mud," she heard the guard rumble. "What brings you here?" There was a slight hint of a threat in his voice, and the silver-and-white she-cat assumed he was higher in ranking than the other.

"Shadow ordered me to come here," a familiar voice growled. "It appears that I was chosen to... _discipline _our new prisoners."

Ivypool suddenly felt lightheaded. He was going to hurt her! Remembering Cinderheart, she looked at the gray queen. She was unconscious... and that made her vulnerable.

Feeling a wave of panic wash over her, she prodded her side, trying to nudge her awake. Surely he would enter the room soon?

"Cinderheart!" she whispered in her ear, doing everything she could to help her.

The back of her neck was warm. She froze, feeling someone's hot breath at her shoulders and making her fur bristle. Ivypool spun around, defiance reflected in her eyes.

Recognizing the ugly orange-and-gray tom from the battle, she growled, standing defensively over her friend.

"Hello," he purred, his lips curled back into a sneer. She hissed, sinking her unsheathed claws into the ground. He snickered at her, knowing that she didn't stand a chance. In one swift motion, he hooked her paws out from beneath her, making her land with a thud onto the ground.

Ivypool watched helplessly as he unsheathed his claws and scratched them down the sleeping she-cat's back. Instantly her eyes snapped open, a hiss of pain escaping from her lips.

The patch-furred cat smirked and sheathed his claws. "Now that you're both awake," he hissed, eyes glinting, "we can begin. My name is Mud."

Ivypool snorted. "The name fits you, you ugly piece of crowfood," she spat. His eyes flashed and he smacked her with his paw, sending her reeling away from him. Cinderheart bristled.

"Obviously you haven't learned your manners!" Mud growled, looming in front of Ivypool, who struggled to stand up again. "You never, _ever _disrespect us, do you hear me? Us rogues are trained and bred to take control." She hissed and swiped at his face. He grunted as he dodged the slow attack, then leaned in close to her ear. "You can accept it, and obey us, or you can learn it the hard way." He glared at Cinderheart, who shrank back and nodded. Of course she didn't think that was true, but the way he was going, he wouldn't take no for an answer. Ivypool, however, was stubborn... too stubborn for her own good.

"Fox-dung on you, mousebrained fleabag!" she cursed, clawing his face. "We are equal to you, you filthy piece of dirt!"

This time her attack hit its target. Her claws met his cheek, tearing a clump of fur off. She knew that she had been weakened from her state of unconsciousness, but there was no way she was going to give in, not now.

"You... you little..." Mud fumed, raising a paw slowly. Ivypool closed her eyes, bracing herself for impact. There was none.

"I knew you'd have trouble with this one."

Ivypool's eyes snapped open. Shadow! The cat who caused this in the first place!

"You!" she screeched, turning on the dark cat. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this mess!"

The tom snarled. Turning to his ugly goon, he growled. "Deal with the other one," he ordered. "I'll take care of her." Mud dipped his head in respect, walking over to where Cinderheart trembled in anger.

Shadow crept forward, advancing toward Ivypool. Instantly fearful of the strange look in his eye, she took a step back, then another. She stopped when her foot bumped against the wall. Trapped.

"You will answer the questions I ask you," he demanded, more of a statement than a request. The silvery tabby lifted her head in unspoken pride, but slightly nodded.

"What is your name?" he mewed, lifting a paw and licking it. Ivypool hesitated; if she gave away any information, she could be put into potential danger.

"I'm... Silverwing," she answered quickly, praying that she sounded convincing. It was the first name that whispered to her mind, and it sounded genuine. Unfortunately, Shadow's eyes flashed with fury. He knocked her to the ground, pinning her.

"I can see through all of your lies," he whispered, glaring into her dark blue eyes. "You must never lie to any of us, let alone insult us. You are just a stupid ThunderClan she-cat. My rogues are superior, and they make the rules. And if you disobey our rules... well, we punish you." Leaning down, he grabbed her front paw in his mouth. Biting down on one of her claws, he yanked it upward, sending pain through her paw. Ivypool yelped in pain, and in her subconscious, she heard Cinderheart's cries of pain as well.

Shakily she looked down at her paw, and nearly fainted. Blood gushed out of it, and one of her claws was missing.

Shadow let her get up. She put her weight on her paw and winced at the pain of it.

"Let's try again, shall we? What's your name?"

Ivypool hissed, then dropped her head in surrender. "I'm... Ivypool," she mewed. Satisfaction washed over the tom's eyes, but he still had more to ask her. He started pacing.

"When are your kits due?" he asked, circling her like a piece of prey.

Again she faltered. Gulping, she replied. "In a half-moon."

Shadow grinned. "Ah, yes. New recruits. And to raise them from such a young age!"

Ivypool hissed; she hated this. He was acting as if he owned her!

"And who is the father of your kits?"

Silence.

"Well?" he smirked, knowing the answer. Ivypool trembled a bit, conflict in her mind. Should she tell him the truth? Would it... would it help her situation? Or would it doom him as well?

"I... They're... He's one of your cats. The father... he's in your ranks." She swallowed a lump in her throat, remembering the hole in her heart that was left after Jasper stopped meeting with her. Did he still love her? Did he still think of her, and worry for her?

"Yes... Jasper, I believe," he snickered, circling her in a tighter circle. "He did his job well, reporting on ThunderClan and all. I see he succeeded in winning your heart. I'd better reward him for that."

..._What...?_

His words floated by her ear as she tried to process the information. That couldn't be true! He loved her... he really did! He'd never betray her... Would he?

She fixed her gaze on Shadow, glaring at him.

_"You're lying." _She hissed.

Shadow laughed in the back of his mind as Ivypool stared daggers into him. Exactly the reaction he wanted.

_It couldn't have been a lie!  
_

She closed her eyes, freeing a tear hiding behind her eyelid. She willed it to come back; she hated showing weakness, let alone crying in front of others.

"He promised me," she argued. Shadow looked surprised for a heartbeat, then threw back his head and cackled.

"Promised you what?" he taunted, leering in her face. "That he loved you? That he'd never betray you? It was all a lie, my dear. It was all fake! Why do you think you were never found out? Did you think we were deaf not to hear you from two fox-lengths away? No... we're much more than that. You were just too mousebrained to realize it!" She glared at the tom, tears welling in her eyes. He was lying! Jasper... he did love her. That look in his eye... it couldn't have been fake, could it?

"Aww... are you going to cry?" he asked mockingly, his lips curled into a sneer. "Is the pretty little kittypet going to cry?"

Ivypool's rage bubbled beneath her pelt. She fought to keep it down. If she lost control, she'd lose. And she couldn't cry, either. She needed to stay strong, or she'd lose another claw.

Unpleased with her reaction, he hissed and smacked her with his paw. As she hit the wall, he turned and stalked to the entrance of the den.

"I'll be back, _Ivypool._" he said over his shoulder. "And do well to stick to our rules; I've a notion that you may run out of claws soon."

And then he was gone. Cinderheart was bleeding from her hind paw, and she limped over to her and sat down. She didn't question her; not about Jasper, not about anything. She simply sat beside her, comforting her.

It was about midnight that it happened; a certain light brown cat with green eyes was in a dark cave, similar to Ivypool's.

But he wasn't moving.

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**Aww. And there you have it: proof that I suck at emotionally crippling paragraphs! Wow. I mean... talk about cliche.  
**

**Review! Give me ideas on what will happen! Because I suck at building plot too!**

**P.S. Cookies for anyone who can guess who Shadow is! I think I left enough hints to make it pretty darn obvious... but I'm the one who's writing this, so I couldn't tell ya.  
**

**P.P.S. I'm going to write a new fanfic soon! Check it out when I upload it!**

**With all due respect,**

**~Sky**


	6. Chapter 6

**An awesome thank-you to those of you who reviewed! I love you all!**

**I got a comment about how Ivypool should be more... fierce... than I portray her. I'll try to make her better at fighting, but remember that she is pregnant, has a disadvantage from being unconscious, and is now missing a claw. I tried to make her more Ivypool-ish by making her really stubborn, but like I said, I'll try to make her more "kick-butt." :)**

**And now... back to Dovewing!**

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Chapter 6

"What do you mean, dead?!"

Dovewing stood in the leader's den with Whitewing and Birchfall. Bramblestar sat in front of them, a troubled look in his eye.

Bramblestar sighed. "I'm sorry, Birchall," he mewed sadly. "But we've been searching all over the territory for them for three days. I'm afraid they're long gone." The three of them began to mew in protest, but accepted it reluctantly. The leader continued. "We need all of our warriors to rebuild camp, and we've already been greatly delayed. And..." he trailed off, his eyes reflecting dismay.

"H-Hawkfrost..."

Dovewing stiffened. What did Hawkfrost have to do with this? Didn't... didn't he disappear after Ivypool killed him?

"My brother... he wasn't dead," the tabby tom said shakily, all of his confidence vaporized. She shook her head in confusion and disbelief, her eyes wide. "He warned me that if we did anything else to find them, he'd kill them on the spot. Of course, I didn't know if he told the truth or not... but seeing him there, still alive..." He shuddered. "Makes me think anything's possible."

Whitewing sobbed, clearly wanting to hear no more. Birchfall, on the other hand, still looked determined to find his daughter. Dovewing... well, she just felt blank.

"Dovewing," Bramblestar meowed. "Can you try to locate her with your senses?" Dovewing nodded, then shut her eyes, letting herself attract to any sound of pain, any hiss of defiance, or any siver-and-white tabby she-cat. She opened her eyes with a start, sensing her sister's presence. But it was... dark. Too dark to see anything.

She brought herself back to the den, and shook her head. "I felt her there beside me," she mewed, eyes wide. "But... it was so dark... it was like... like nothing."

Bramblestar hung his head. "Then perhaps... she is already dead."

"No!" Dovewing sobbed, hope draining out of her. "Send one more patrol. Please. If... if they don't find anything... then I'll accept her as gone."

Birchfall voiced his agreement, and Whitewing looked hopefully up at their leader.

He sighed. "Very well," he mewed. "Go tell Lionblaze to gather a few cats to go with him. And tell him to take Jayfeather," he added as she turned around. "He said he received a dream concerning their whereabouts."

Dovewing's eyes flashed with newfound hope as she exited the den. Turning around, she headed for the warriors den where Lionblaze argued with Icecloud.

"I've told you before. She could still be alive!"

Icecloud stiffened and stepped toward Lionblaze in frustration. "It's been three days, mousebrain. She could be anywhere; dead or alive."

The golden tabby was lost for words, too consumed with anger. He noticed Dovewing, and his eyes washed over with relief for the distraction. "Hello, Dovewing."

She got right to the point, brimming with expectation. "Lionblaze, Bramblestar wants you to lead another search patrol." When he looked slightly surprised, she added, "It's going to be the last one... we have to make it count."

He nodded, ignoring Icecloud's protests. Dovewing told him to fetch one other cat while she went to go get Jayfeather.

She did. Bidding them good luck, she sat in the entrance to the camp, watching as they disappeared to go find the missing she-cats.

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Ivypool woke up to a kick in the side. She hissed, wanting more than anything to claw the rogue's ears off, but for one thing, she was outnumbered, and to add to that, she didn't want her unborn kits in danger. Sure, the story behind their existance was all just an act to get more kits for Shadow, but she still loved them dearly.

"Wake up!" a gruff voice hissed in her ear. Ivypool sighed, recognizing Mud's voice. That ugly brute probably never groomed himself; he reeked like Twoleg rubbish. Getting up, she fought the urge to sink her fangs in his throat, instead grinding her teeth in frustration. Seeing her awake, he moved over to Cinderheart and nudged her with a paw. Ivypool noted how gently he tried to wake her up; perhaps he had a soft spot for the wise queen.

Mud threw them a scrawny squirrel to share, the body smelling like crowfood. Ivypool wrinkled her nose in disgust, but hesitantly tore a piece of flesh from the not-so-fresh-kill. It was tough meat, hardly tasting like anything at all. She gagged on it as it slid down her throat. Swallowing it, she felt her nagging hunger urge her to take another gross bite.

Cinderheart crouced beside her, closing her eyes and biting into the squirrel. They sat there, eating the food, as Mud stared down at them.

"When you're quite finished," he growled, "Shadow requested for you to... meet the others."

Ivypool and Cinderheart exchanged bewildered glances. They had already been exposed to the rest of the rogues. Were there... more?

They finished up the stale kill and followed after the massive orange-and-gray tom. As they left the den, a hundred eyes glared at them, all malicious and threatening. A few looked at them as if they were fresh-kill, a strange look in their eyes. Still others looked up at them with recognition and surprise. Ivypool's own eyes reflected the same emotion as she stared into the eyes of Molepaw.

"M-Molepaw!" she exclaimed, her breath catching in her throat. She opened her mouth to say more, but stopped when she saw the bodies of Lionblaze and Jayfeather slumped beside him. Had they been... killed...?

"Is... Is that Lionblaze?" Cinderheart whispered beside her.

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**Hey guys. No. I'm sorry. This is the end of the chapter. Cause I feel like ending it here. No. NO.**

**CHECK OUT MY POLL GUYS IT'S EMPTY NAME IVY'S KITS ASDFGHJKL**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHECK OUT THE POLLLLLLLLLL**

**And I'm sorry about the last chapter xD. I had to go to vacation and I didn't want to leave you without something to read. Yeah. It wasn't even a cliffhanger... more like a story written by an author who never has the perseverance to finish things. :/  
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Dovewing was worried.

They hadn't come back.

They'd been gone for hours, and Dovewing was beginning to think that something had happened to them. They couldn't just... be killed. They were two of the Three, for StarClan's sake! If anything, there were too many enemies and Lionblaze was still fighting them off. She was sure that they would come back.

Kneading the ground with her paws, she anxiously waited for them at the entrance to the camp, when she shivered.

Normally, this wouldn't be such a surprise, but it wasn't even cold.

It was greenleaf.

And that meant a spirit had passed by her.

Dovewing jumped in alarm, hoping from the depths of her soul that it was a StarClan cat bringing good news and not a surviving Dark Forest cat returning to torment her. Fur bristling, she whirled around, trying to detect the location of the dead cat, earning looks of confusion from her clanmates. Perhaps they thought she had gotten into the catmint again.

When she sensed nothing, she relaxed. _I may as well be affected by catmint, _she thought, shaking her head. Her experiences with dead cats had taken its toll on her. Sitting back down and curling her tail around her paws, she continued watching for any sign of her old mentor and his brother.

Whitewing stumbled by, tripping as a series of rough coughs racked her body. Dovewing watched as her mother continued on to the medicine cat den where Brightheart was temporarily taking over. _I hope it's not greencough._

A fluffy pelt pressed against her side, and Dovewing flinched in surprise. Snapping her head around, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Bumblestripe's startled face beside her. She purred and licked him on the nose.

Concern was evident in his eyes. "Are you all right, Dovewing?" he asked, touching his nose to her cheek. She nodded.

"Just a bit jumpy, that's all."

Bumblestripe rolled his eyes and nudged her with a forepaw, twitching his whiskers in amusement. When she didn't respond, he padded in front of her and looked into her eyes. "Something _is _wrong," he mewed. "Are you... afraid for Ivypool?"

She opened her mouth to say something, when she heard Whitewing's screech.

"Leafpool!"

* * *

Ivypool seethed as red spots clouded her vision.

"You killed them!" she yowled at Shadow, unsheathing her claws and stalking forward. He merely chuckled and swatted her aside. She hit the ground painfully and glared up at him, baring her teeth.

"On the contrary, dear Ivypool, I saved them from a tunnel collapse." Not a hair on his pelt ruffled; he remained amused, revealing nothing. "I believe they were searching for you. However, it may prove to be entertaining to kill them." He smirked and hovered his claws dangerously close to Jayfeather's neck. "They'll wake up any moment now, and then you'll all have the opportunity to watch them bleed to death."

"No!" gasped Cinderheart, struggling to reach her mate's unconscious body. Several rogues had her pinned, and in her pregnant state, she could do nothing but tremble in horror. Ivypool, on the other hand, was not supressed at all as she limped as fast as she could toward her clanmates. Shadow simply rolled his eyes and dug his claws into her tail. Pain blossomed in it, but she would not give him the satisfaction of crying out in pain. She kept a stoic look on her face as she stared determinedly at Molepaw.

"Ivypool!" he whimpered, stepping forward. As he put his weight on one of his hind legs, he crumbled onto the ground. He grunted in pain.

Ivypool glared at Shadow from the corner of her eye. "Let me go," she hissed. He smirked and used his free paw to smack her away from the frightened apprentice and toward a group of his followers. She tumbled into a gray tabby, and tried to scamper away, when she was forcefully knocked down by the cats around her.

Molepaw crawled painfully toward Ivypool, concern and panic in his face. Shadow intercepted him and sent him flying into Jayfeather's unmoving form. He was winded with a sharp intake of breath.

Ivypool continued to thrash, her claws snagging on the filthy toms' unkempt pelts. Shadow glanced at her. "It appears she hasn't learned her lesson," he growled, annoyed. He flicked his tail at the rogues around her. "Do what you want with her."

In a flurry of cats and claws, as well as excited meows, Ivypool suddenly found herself underneath a dark brown tom with a menacing gaze. He had a scar between his eyes, still encrusted with blood. Teeth dug into her scruff as realization dawned on her.

"Stop! Let her go!" Cinderheart screamed, trying to crawl away. Ivypool, panicking, tried to shake him off, but she was forced into the ground again. Something yanked her tail upward, and she shrieked in fear.

"What the- Ivypool?!" a voice sounded behind Shadow. She knew that voice. Lionblaze was awake.

Ivypool tried to claw her way out again as something touched her from behind. "Help me! Lionblaze, help!" she managed to say.

"Holy StarClan! I'm coming!"

A large golden tom jumped over a startled Shadow and crashed in front of her. The tom holding her yelped and scrambled away, leaving her temporarily free. She looked up into Lionblaze's confused expression. "What in the name of StarClan is going on?"

Ivypool ducked as the gray tabby from earlier swiped at her. "I'll explain later!" That is, if there was a later.

Shadow yowled a battle cry and all the onlookers surged forward to attack. Molepaw backed up and joined them, looking horrified. "Are you okay?" he mewed to Ivypool.

Ivypool clawed at another cat and shuddered. "I.. I'm fine." Dodging his retaliation, she backed up some more. "I've gone through much worse in the Dark Forest."

Lionblaze glanced at her in surprise before turning back to his opponent. Molepaw was being battered around quite often, and Ivypool wasn't doing a whole lot better. But with the golden tabby on their side, they were indestructable.

Well, almost.

Ivypool, Lionblaze, and Molepaw stiffened as all the cats stopped fighting and backed off a few paces. Molepaw perked up, thinking they'd won, but Ivypool and Lionblaze exchanged glances warily.

"No! Get your paws off of me!"

Shadow stepped out of the ring of cats, dragging Cinderheart kicking and hissing. He dropped her and planted a paw on her back, right between the shoulders, before smugly looking at the three ThunderClanners.

Lionblaze's eyes widened. "Cinderheart!"

Shadow snickered and dug his claws into her. "That's right, and if you want her alive, I suggest that you end this nonsense."

Ivypool curled her lip in disgust. _That crowfood-eating fox-heart!_

Reluctantly she sheathed her claws, the rest of them following suit.

"You can't use me to get the upper hand, you flea-ridden mange-pelt!" she screeched, writhing underneath his claws.

"I already have," the dark tom growled, rolling his eyes. Suddenly he fixed them on Lionblaze. "You're just going to cause trouble. Claws don't work against you."

As Ivypool flinched and pondered how he knew of his power, Lionblaze stifled a gasp. Molepaw simply looked from Ivypool to Lionblaze to Cinderheart, fear etched into the usually bubbly apprentice.

Cinderheart tensed and looked up at the rogue leader. "How did you know?" she murmured softly. Then realization lit in her eyes, as well as confusion. "You're Breezepelt!"

She shrieked as claws twisted into her back violently. The black tom eyed her dangerously, and Ivypool recognized jealousy, bitterness, and rage flickering behind his neutral mask.

"Breezepelt?" Lionblaze managed to croak, taking a step forward. "So this is what you've been doing after you left?"

A growl rumbled deep in Shadow's - Breezepelt's throat. "Yes. And I've finally gotten the respect I deserve." He gestured with his tail to all of his followers behind him. "None of them would hesitate to kill for my sake. They love me; they worship me; it's much better than any Clan would have offered."

Ivypool's breath stopped half way down her throat in shock. This whole time, it was Breezepelt!

He whirled at Lionblaze, baring his teeth, his stoicness gone. "_You._ You and your fox-faced mother stole my father's love for me! You won Heathertail's heart, you won the entire forest's respect, and you've got everything I ever wanted." A brief wave of sadness flashed in his eyes, but it was soon replaced with fury as he turned on Ivypool. "And you. Oh, I could've had rank, and acceptance, and trust, if only the Dark Forest had won that wretched battle. You turned on them. _You _were the reason why the Dark Forest was defeated!"

Ivypool took a step back at the anger pulsing from him. His tail twitched, and every movement sent his claws deeper into poor Cinderheart.

"You know what? StarClan may have won the battle, but they haven't won the war."

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**Congradulations to everyone who correctly guessed Shadow's identity! You all get to hug Breezepelt! (And get a few limbs torn off in the process!)**

**PLEASE check the poll. And I've started ANOTHER fanfic~ :D check that out too. It's supposed to be more of a funny thing.**

**Until next time,**

**~Sky**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for all the reviews, guys! And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...**

**Drumroll please... it's Chapter 8! (Another emotionally crippling chapter. Just saying.)**

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Ivypool froze as something passed behind her, making her shiver. She knew what it was: a spirit, and most likely a Dark Forest cat. Suddenly Jayfeather's earlier warning screamed into her mind, and subconsciously she touched her throat with her tail to make sure there were no claws running through it.

Cinderheart must have felt it too because she stopped struggling and lay still, perking her ears in cautiousness. For a moment, all of the cats stopped; some trying to recognize the spirit and others listening intently on what Breezepelt had just declared.

"What do you mean, the war?" Lionblaze spat, hesitant to step forward in case Cinderheart would get hurt. His fur bristled in anger, glaring at his half-brother. "You mean we aren't finished with the Dark Forest?!"

"Oh, no," Breezepelt chuckled darkly, "You haven't seen the last of us. When we come back at full force, with the help of my _new _warriors, we won't lose. And then, any cat in my way suffers the consequences." With a glare he added, "And right now, that means you."

Lionblaze growled, waving his tail backwards from side to side to indicate that Ivypool and Molepaw should back up a bit. "You can't take me down," he hissed, baring his teeth. "If you tried, then you'd _all_ die in the process." Ivypool warily took one step back to give the muscular tabby room in case a fight broke out. She watched as he flexed his claws, teeth glinting in the dim light.

"_I _can't take you down," Breezepelt laughed. Then he narrowed his eyes, a smirk still plastered on his face. "But I can take down _her."_

Ivypool's eyes widened as she followed Breezepelt's gaze to Cinderheart. Lionblaze growled.

"No," he mewed softly.

Cinderheart feebly attempted to scratch at the dark tom but she was pegged. "Don't, Lionblaze!" she flustered. "Don't worry about me! Get Ivypool and Molepaw out of here! And Jayfeather!"

"No!" Lionblaze breathed, not wanting to make the decision. "No!"

Breezepelt chuckled as he watched Lionblaze practically fall apart right there. Ivypool, fearing for Cinderheart's safety as well as her own, remained silent as she watched his reaction.

His head fell and his shoulder slumped in defeat.

"...What do I need to do?"

Breezepelt brimmed with satisfaction. Leaning down to mew into CInderheart's ear, he eyed Lionblaze strangely.

"What should we make him do, Cinderheart?" he spoke, and Ivypool watched as Cinderheart shuddered and craned her neck away from him. "Perhaps I could use you to make him serve in my army. But that wouldn't be much fun, now would it?" Slightly picking his head up to look at Lionblaze, he snarled. "After all, he stole my father's love, as well as my mate's. Perhaps I should steal _his _mate from him as well."

Lionblaze started in surprise and horror. "_No!_" he yowled.

Breezepelt continued as if he hadn't spoken at all. "It'd be fun to make him jealous, wouldn't it?"

"Stop!"

"Or maybe I should make him watch you bleed to death..." he whispered, resting his claws at her neck.

Ivypool wanted so badly to rush in and save her, but she knew that would only seal her fate. She could only squeeze her eyes shut and silently pray to StarClan.

Lionblaze flattened his ears. "Stop it!" he blurted. "I'll do whatever you want... just don't hurt her!"

Cinderheart gasped. "No! Don't do it, Lionblaze! I don't care what I have to go through... as long as you're okay!"

Still keeping his claws embedded in her back, he looked Lionblaze in the eye. "Well," he purred, "There is one thing you could do..."

Ivypool's mind raced with escape plans. Maybe once Cinderheart was safe, Lionblaze could help them return home!

"What is it?!" Lionblaze begged. "I'll do it- I will!"

There was a moment's pause.

"Kill yourself."

"_What?" _Cinderheart screeched, thrashing twice as violently. "Lionblaze! Save yourself! Forget about me!"

Ivypool watched as Lionblaze made his decision, knowing it was not hers to make. Slowly, he raised his paw to his throat, unsheathing his claws. He glanced at Ivypool and Molepaw, and then stared at Cinderheart.

Time creeped to a stop as Lionblaze stared at his claws, then at his mate, then at his claws again. Ivypool tensed, breathless, finding it hard not to plead with him not to. He was her chance for safety; but he could also ensure her mentor's death. Either way... it wasn't Ivypool place to do such a thing.

"Lionblaze, please," The gray she-cat wailed, stilling her useless attempts toward freedom. Ivypool watched as her eyes glistened over, ready to spill with tears. "Our kits! You need to be here for them! You need to watch them grow and train and become warriors! Like you! I bet... I bet one of them will be just like you, Lionblaze."

He stared at her with grief and regret as the tip of his claws gently touched his throat.

"...Lionblaze?"

Ivypool swallowed back a cry as she realized that he had made his decision.

"Lionblaze! Stop! Don't do it!" Cinderheart pushed up with all her strength, trying to knock the ex-WindClan cat off of her. "No!"

"I'm sorry, Cinderheart," Breezepelt sneered, laughing at Lionblaze through his eyes. "But you can't interrupt us now; this is my moment of revenge."

The golden warrior paused, and for a moment he simply stared at Cinderheart with a sad smile on his face. Tears streaked his face as he shared a moment of peace with his mate, savoring it before it was ripped away by his own bloodied claws.

"I'll be waiting for you, Cinderheart."

Shaking, Cinderheart watched as Lionblaze slit open his throat with a cry of agony, and in that instant all her tears exploded down her face in an instant.

"Lionblaze!"

He kept his claws in his throat, jerking violently and trying to cope with the pain. It was all for Cinderheart. All for her.

Cinderheart shrieked loudly, eyes burning from the tears flowing dwn her face. Even Breezepelt's claws were numbed in that moment, as pain attacked her heart and stunned her the way cold water stuns skin. And in that moment her heart shattered at the force of the blow, and she heard nothing over her crazed wails, screaming and crying out her mate's name.

Ivypool, as soon as he had made his decision, had dashed to his side, fighting back tears. She knew that a good cat like him would have done it, but it hurt... it hurt trying to stifle her emotions as to not sway his morals.

He was bleeding heavily now, rasping each breath, each breath shuddering his neck, and each shudder sending blood bubbling out from between his claws. Out of all the possible ways to die, this was perhaps the most gruesome of all. Faced with the decision to save yourself.. or someone you love. And to think... one of the mighty Three brought down at young age, in the paws of rogues who show no respect.

"No!" Cinderheart wriggled free at last as Breezepelt let go of her. She stumbled to him, trembling, and sat down beside him, frantically trying to save his life somehow. Panic-stricken, she licked at the wound, hoping against hope that he won't die, can't die, that he had already proven before that he wouldn't be defeated. Lionblaze gurgled and thrashed, his conscious mind gone, and coughed blood into Cinderheart's face. Cinderheart didn't even flinch as crimson stained her cheek; as she continued to lick his neck, her tears mixed with his blood, streaking her face with red. Her eyes squeezed shut, trying to block out the fact that her mate was dying, that he was going to join StarClan and that she'd never see him again. Ivypool watched, flattening her ears against the sounds of grief echoing around the cave. Biting back a wail, she watched her former mentor - her composed, elegant, graceful, intelligent mentor - suddenly fall apart from the inside. And she knew that she had to be strong, she had to seem alright, because if she fell apart then Cinderheart would, too.

The golden warrior's blood trickled to a stop, and his life slipped away under her paws. She knew that Cinderheart felt responsibility for his death. The life of one of the most valuable cats in the forest, and it was gone.

Molepaw hung his head and cried loudly, matching Cinderheart's sadness as well as Ivypool's unspoken grief. Inside, she was being clawed at, bitten - until finally she allowed one tear to fall. It eased a bit of the pain, but she allowed herself no more. Through her deep blue eyes she watched as Cinderheart collapsed onto Lionblaze's side and sobbed into his fur, taking in his scent before the reek of death could take over. Taking deep gasps of air, she mourned over him.

"Lionblaze, you idiot," she yelled, her body convulsing with the strength of her cries. "You had to do it, didn't you? Damn it, Lionblaze, you mousebrain... You idiot!"

Ivypool fought for control. She needed her strength... she needed to save it for later, when Cinderheart needs support. Instead of focusing on her overwhelming surges of emotional pain, she focused on her anger. She let her fur bristle up as she hissed at Breezepelt, her ex-Dark Forest clanmate.

"_You're __a fox-heart," _she growled. "and a coward. If you had wanted to kill him, you should have done it yourself, you filthy piece of dirt!" She tried to act tough; to let the others know that she wouldn't be taken down easily. She had a pride deep inside of her, and it was gnawing at her every time some cat abused her and when she was forced to suck it up and move on. Many cats had hurt her in more ways than she could count, and most of them hadn't been brought to justice. "Someday, Breezepelt," she hissed, spitting his name like it was venom in her mouth, "your obsession for power and revenge will come back to tear you apart."

With that she touched noses with Cinderheart and laid down beside Lionblaze, not daring to relax in case Breezepelt decided to play any tricks. To her surprise, he simply smirked at her and retreated to his den, wherever it was.

_He's a demon, _a voice inside of her screamed, trying to claw its way out and lash out at him as his thin tail disappeared into darkness. Ivypool lashed her tail in anger, frustrated at her helpless state. Simply looking tough was some day not going to help. _As soon as I give birth to my kits, I'll train hard and murder that imbecile!_

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**Oh god now I've got to go hide from a bunch of angry Lionblaze fangirls. Eep! /dashes into corner/  
**

**Anyone want to take a guess on the spirit cat that keeps passing by everyone? No? Okay...**

**Anyways I'm sorry to say this won't be the only death in this fanfic. Ohh no. There are many more to come... /evil grin/ and I always kill off characters. Weh. :0  
**

**AAaaand I've officially thought of another story! Teehee. It'll be up soon. It's going to be mainly drama, less action, and a whole lot more of Sand X Fire :3**

**So stay tuned, my amazing readers! And review, review, review!**

**~Sky**


	9. AN

**Hey guys! I have a favor to ask. I'm going to go to a friends house sometime soon, and we're going to do an "I dare you" session. Please leave comments as suggestions. The crazier and more dangerous, the better!**

**Also... I will not update until I have at least 20 suggestions. *sly grin* So if you want the story, start thinking!**

**~Sky**

**(note that I changed my user. Lol)**


	10. Chapter 9

**Holy freaking crap.**

**That's a lot of reviews. Thanks so much, guys! I love you all! *hugs*  
**

**And for anyone who wanted to know, the top three names for Ivy's kits are Wolfkit, Featherkit, and Mistkit. If you have any objections, you have approximately three chapters to vote before the kits are born. (hint, hint.)**

**Also there'll be no more Dovewing POV's, 'kay?**

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Ivypool stared blankly at the walls of the den, seething and concocting a plan on how to take down Breezepelt. That sick excuse for a tom didn't even bury Lionblaze's body, and kept it on top of a giant rock in the center of the cave. He forbid everyone from moving it, and declared that it was his moment of victory. Then the flea-bag had dragged Jayfeather's unconscious body into her den, where he still lay unmoving, his chest rising and falling slightly. He'd probably be killed as soon as he woke up; there was no doubt about it. Molepaw was no where to be found; probably either dead or forced to cooperate. Cinderheart looked like an empty shell as she lay in her nest, eyes glazed over in numbness.

"Cinderheart?"

"...Yes?"

Ivypool twitched her tail and shuffled awkwardly from paw to paw. "Um..."

"Spit it out, Ivypool," she muttered, suddenly glaring at her. She recoiled, taken aback by the usually gentle warrior's cold tone. She regained her composure and straightened, looking into her blue eyes.

"Have you thought of names for your kits?" she questioned softly, trying to remind Cinderheart that she still had a piece of Lionblaze with her. The gray she-cat looked surprised, then smiled softly. She looked down at her swollen stomach, placing a paw on it gently.

"I haven't named all of them," she murmured quietly, looking back up at Ivypool, "But I know that I'm going to name the first one after Lionblaze."

A sharp pain pierced her heart when she remembered him sacrificing himself. "He was a brave warrior," Ivypool meowed solemnly, dipping her head in respect of the golden tom. "And we'll always remember him."

Cinderheart looked up at her and they both shared a sad little smile, reminiscent of Lionblaze's before he died. Ivypool growled softly, remembering that her kits would never have a father. Neither of them. Ivypool's mate had been a manipulative fox-heart, and Cinderheart's was in StarClan.

"He'll be remembered forever in StarClan," she mewed. Cinderheart nodded, then turned her head. Her eyes widened a bit in fear. Following her gaze to the entrance to the cave, Ivypool stiffened as Mud poked his head into the room.

"Get out of here, filth," Ivypool hissed, standing defensively over Cinderheart. The ugly tom twitched and flashed his fangs, his anger bubbling up, but he tossed a squirrel at them before leaving. Waiting a moment or two to make sure he was gone, they turned back to their conversation and began eating the prey.

"Ivypool..."

The silver-and-white she-cat glanced up from her meal. Cinderheart's eyes were gloomy and distraught, but they also revealed concern. Sighing, the gray queen-to-be bent down and tore off a piece of prey.

Absentmindedly, Ivypool chewed the meat, not really tasting its unusually flavorful insides. It was much, much fresher than the half-rotten pieces of crow-food they'd received in the past. Perhaps Breezepelt was feeling a bit sorry about Lionblaze's death... no, that can't be. He doesn't have the heart to understand emotions like that. Nah, he was probably trying to get them to lower their guard. She chuckled to herself. _As if I would ever.__  
_

Swallowing her last mouthful of fur, she sat back and began grooming herself. Drawing her tongue over her chest fur, she glanced down at her ever-growing stomach. Any day now, the kits would come. Obviously, Cinderheart's would first, since she was a quarter-moon further along than her, but anything was possible. And that meant Ivypool needed to find a way out as soon as her kits arrived.

While she stared at her own silvery fur, she continued to groom herself, wanting to hang on to her dignity while she was in this prison. When she felt a piece of dirt, she picked it out and resumed. From the corner of her eye, Cinderheart was curled up in her stale nest, lightly snoring. Ivypool smiled. It was nice to see her finally unwinding... a bit.

Raising her paw to lick it, she cleaned her face. It was relaxing. It really was. After all that horror and death, she had a semi-safe haven. And she intended to keep it forever.

Ivypool paused when she felt a brief chill come over her. She shivered, eyes widening at the thought of a spirit near her. Squeezing her eyes shut, she desperately prayed that it was StarClan who'd decided to pay a visit and not the Dark Forest. An image of a half-dead doppleganger flashed in her mind.

"I've missed you, Ivypool."

The voice did not sound like it missed her at all. It sounded more like it wanted to rip out her guts and feed them to the foxes. However, Ivypool couldn't quite remember who it belonged to. She flinched when a rough tongue slowly passed over the back of her neck. Eyes bursting open, she whirled around to see who it was...

And no one was there.

Dazed, she took a step back. Who was that? A figment of her imagination? Or a cruel former ally messing with her? Either way, she didn't want it to touch her again. She shuddered, taking another step back, only to press her foot against some cat's fur.

Suddenly claws dug into her shoulders, tearing open her skin. Ivypool cried out, trying to turn around or at least see her attacker, but she found herself pinned.

A voice whispered into her ear.

"It's coming soon, my dear."

Ivypool felt another lick at the base of her ear before the weight vanished entirely. Eyes wide, she staggered to her feet. Coming soon? What was coming soon? Warily, she stepped toward Cinderheart, attempting to wake her to find comfort. She was almost there when teeth - claws - _something - _dug into her tail and dragged her away. This time she jumped to her feet, spinning on her toes with her fur bristled out, and faced her attacker.

Once again, no one was there.

Although fearful, Ivypool forced herself to remain calm. Panicking would only make her situation worse. Instead, she scanned the den, searching for her foe. She looked for anything; a tooth, a claw, a faint glow in the air, or even paw-marks. Nothing.

There was no scent in the air, either. Whoever it was had disguised it well. A sound behind her caught her attention and she spun around, lashing out her claws. She stopped, however, when a pair of ice-blue eyes stared back at her and dodged the blow.

Hawkfrost chuckled at her horrified expression. "I see that bearing kits has slowed you down quite a bit," he snickered.

Ivypool's head spun as she blankly gaped at the tabby. Briefly glancing down at her claws, she assured herself that it was all just a dream. She had definitely killed Hawkfrost in his afterlife. He had faded under her paws. This was in no way, shape, or form, part of reality. _Wake up... wake up..._

She snapped out of her trance when Hawkfrost licked her muzzle. It wasn't a dream! _Oh StarClan, no!_

"Surprised to see me, Ivypool?" he mewed, in all of his arrogant elegance. He smirked and trailed his tail across her side, outlining her figure. She tried to shut it all out. This was just like the Dark Forest days, when she trained under Hawkfrost and his evil group of maggot-faces. When horrid, twisted memories sprouted in her mind, she fought it out. Or at least, she tried to. But she just couldn't forget his glinting claws, or the strange look in his eye, or the rapes...

_No._

_Stop._

_Get out of my head!_

Her memories kept flowing as Hawkfrost curled his tail around her back leg. She felt pain as his claws scratched her back agonizingly slowly, and she burst. Pushing away her worried thoughts, she sprang away and looked for an exit. The only exit was the one that led into the main cave, but she couldn't risk being found by Breezepelt and his filthy dung-heads. So she turned around to fight him off.

"I killed you once, and I can do it again," she hissed, arching her back and unsheathing her claws. Hawkfrost was stunned for a minute before laughing. He stalked closer to her, his claws gleaming.

"Did you think I just died?" he cackled, looking down at her. "Did you really think that the whole of the Dark Forest was dead? No, Ivypool. A spirit can disappear from the living world at will. Some of us faded forever, yes, but others, like myself, returned to the Dark Forest before we could be killed." He stepped closer so that their muzzles were touching. "We're going to come back, Ivypool. We're going to bring hell onto your precious Clan, and finally serve our revenge." He chuckled as Ivypool glared at him, hissing. Leaning even closer, he hooked his claws into her sides, dangerously close to her pregnant belly. "And you know what else? I'm going to train your kits into the most feared warriors in the Clans. I'm going to make them follow my footsteps, make them betray you, and make them show you the pain I felt."

"You're insane, you know that?" The silver tabby spat.

He grinned, showing his fangs. "I'm not insane; I'm ambitious."

And then he disappeared, leaving Ivypool to catch her breath.

That was when she noticed that Jayfeather was no longer breathing.

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**Gah! *ducks to avoid a JayJay fangirl* I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Forgive me, please! He's not dead... yet!**

**Soooooo... the mystery spirit cat was Hawkfrost! I'm sorry if the 'Not Dead' part wasn't really canon. And I'm sorry for the short chapter. I'm a lazy person. Lel.**

**Another thing: I am running out of insults. I've already used fox-face, fox-heart, dung-face, flea-bag, mange-pelt, maggot-face, and mousebrain. Seriously, I need more kitty curse words.**

**Ciao. Please review.**

**-Sky**


	11. Chapter 10

**Hello my lovely readers! **

**A/N: should I change the rating from T to M? I've been getting comments about adding lemons... but I don't write those. And that's when I thought:**

**WHY NOT HAVE OTHER PEOPLE DO IT? (Lel) So if anybody out there wants to write a lemon spin-off thing based on any of the _implied _subjects in my story, feel free to do so. (And if you do, tell me you did it so I can read it.) ^^**

**Just wondering...**

**Al****so it's kind of sad that this story has 1,300 views... and only 15 follows. If you want me to finish this story, I'm gonna need support cause I'm socially awkward and don't know how to handle these things.**

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"Cinderheart, wake up!" Ivypool desperately shook her former mentor awake, glancing around to make sure Hawkfrost was gone. It had taken her a long time to process the fact that her enemy, who she thought she had vanquished, wasn't gone forever. In fact, he could visit her as often as he pleased. Shuddering, she pushed her thoughts out of her head and attempted to wake Cinderheart again, roughly pushing at her pelt. She sighed in relief as the gray warrior's eyes flickered open, revealing annoyance gleaming in their depths.

Cinderheart stood up, stretching, her belly brushing the dirt floor. "There better be a reason for pulling me awake after I just fell asleep." She cricked her neck. "I had an excellent dream about ThunderClan."

"Cinderheart, you need to help, now," Ivypool mewed desperately, kneading the ground with her paws. She ran towards Jayfeather, motioning for her to follow. "It's Jayfeather. He's not breathing, Cinderheart!" In her confusion and anxiety, Ivypool had no idea what to do. With Cinderheart's medicinal experience... maybe...

The gray warrior jumped forward, concern flashing in her eyes. Ivypool knew how Cinderheart had... taken a liking to the medicine cat before she loved Lionblaze. Perhaps she felt as if he were all she had left of him.

"What happened?" she asked the silver tabby, not glancing up from Jayfeather's pale gray body. She checked him for wounds, and found a bruised gash in the back of his head.

Ivypool watched, staring at the blood in disbelief. She'd never noticed it before, but the entire side of his head was matted with blood. "I don't know," she replied hoarsely, tears filling her eyes. First Lionblaze, then Hawkfrost decides to show up, then Jayfeather... "I..."

She stopped mid-sentence. How in StarClan's name was she supposed to tell Cinderheart about Hawkfrost? She was already stressed enough with her mate's death and an impending doom hanging over her head. The silver-and-white she-cat fumbled over her words in her mind, wondering if it was best to leave it be and handle it herself. "He... I looked over at him after you fell asleep, and he wasn't... wasn't moving. So I panicked and went to get you." Ivypool angled herself so the cuts on her shoulders weren't visible to the perceptive she-cat.

When she got no reply, she looked back to where Cinderheart was tending to Jayfeather. She was licking off the blood from his head, murmuring soothing words to the unconscious cat.

"He wasn't dead," Cinderheart mewed, finishing up. "His breathing was irregular; he had stopped breathing for two minutes. But he wasn't dead. And he's breathing normally now." Lifting her head to look around the room, she sighed. "I thought that a place so run-down would have cobwebs, but I guess they don't. Oh, well... I suppose moss will do."

Ivypool turned and grabbed a wad of moss from her own nest, padding over to the pretty warrior and dropping it at her feet. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when she saw that Jayfeather was breathing again, slightly, but rhythmically. Thank StarClan. He was as grouchy as an elder sometimes, but he was a lovable cat.

_He's coming for you, _a voice in her head whispered. She shook it out, flattening her ears. _He's not going to let you go so easily._

"Ivypool?"

Cinderheart's annoyed mew brought her back to reality.

"Sorry, Cinderheart..." she mewed, digging her claws in the ground to keep from panicking. Perhaps with Jayfeather here, she'd be somewhat at peace. Perhaps she'd be safe from the Dark Forest.

"I told you that Jayfeather will be awake soon," she sighed, flicking Ivypool's ear with her tail. "Try not to drift off so much. This isn't ThunderClan, and cats will take advantage of you if they get the chance." Heading off to her nest, she called over her shoulder. "Tell me when he wakes up. For now, I need sleep."

Ivypool muttered a curse and started pacing the room, hissing in anger when a jolt of pain flashed through her stomach. They were quite often these days; a sure sign that the kits were due soon. They seemed to soften quite a bit after drinking some water, but the thought of leaving the den disgusted her. She didn't want to have to walk past those bullies and see the dead body of Lionblaze just for a drink of water! However, the pain worsened, and she began to feel nauseous. So much so that she finally gave in and walked out of the safety of her prison.

As she expected, her guard spat at her and unsheathed his claws in warning. His scars checkered his pale brown coat, making him look more like a corpse than a cat.

Ivypool rolled her eyes. "Flatten your fur, badger-breath," she hissed, exasperated, "I'm just getting a drink of water." Twisting around his arrogant sneer, she padded off to the rushing river in the middle of the cave. What a moron.

"Hey you!" his growl erupted after her. "Don't you know the rules about insulting us? Or should I teach them to you, one by one?" He smirked and lashed his tail, earning a surge of anger within the silver she-cat.

Bristling, she spun around and jabbed him in the chest with a claw.

"Foxdung! I'm not afraid of your rules, Scum-star of DirtClan." She bared her teeth. "I've seen mice braver than you. You're just a sick, narcissistic excuse for a cat that tries to look good by hurting others. Well, I've got news for you." She hated this kittypet of a cat. She hated all of them. StarClan's kits, she wanted them all to die! "It's not working. Now pass on the message to your friends. Shadow, Mud, Fang, Jasper, all of them!" Thinking she had out-cursed the wretched cat, she stalked off toward the river again. What she didn't expect, however, was the tom to start laughing.

"Did I say something amusing?" she spat, not even looking back. Damn these pompous toms!

"It's just that I could say the same thing to you!" he snickered, waving his tail so another cat could join him. A dark brown tabby with a scar between his eyes padded up to join him, eyes darkening.

Oh no. Oh, _no. _Not that perverted rat again! Her eyes narrowed in disgust at the rogue.

"You've been deceived by Jasper and kidnapped by Shadow. You're missing a claw and you're expecting kits. Yet you still act like a tough demon." They both laughed as Ivypool unsheathed her claws.

"You brainless crowfood eaters, you can't-"

She was cut off as they laughed again.

"Shut your chew-holes!"

The dark brown tom began circling her, sneering when she bristled. He was too close for comfort, and Ivypool found herself leaning away from his scarred face.

"Back off, before I claw out your eyes!" she hissed, raising her paw in warning. Damn him. Damn him and his ugly, annoying, ego-centered friends. He just grinned strangely and brought himself closer. From the corner of her eye, the silver-and-white she-cat saw the other tom disappear behind her. She craned her neck backwards to keep an eye on him, but the dark brown tom saw her moment of weakness and knocked her down. Her belly faced the air, and before she could even attempt to crawl away, he pinned her.

This scenario was getting old to Ivypool, and she desperately searched for ways to escape the situation. Insult them? ...Tried that. Beg? No way in a million years. But how about...

Suddenly she let out an ear-piercing shriek, thrashing about. This caught the two toms off guard, and Ivypool laughed internally. However, on the outside, she yelped these words:

"I'm kitting! Someone, help!"

That freaked them out. They glanced at each other, wondering if it would be potentially dangerous for them if Shadow found out that they were the reason she kitted early. In silent agreement, the dashed away into a dark den.

Seeing them gone, Ivypool smiled. For the first time since she arrived at Breezepelt's "Clan", she smiled. Resuming her walk to the river, she savored the coolness on her tongue as she drank from its rushing depths.

She may have been weakened in the flesh, but she was still a hell of a lot smarter than Breezepelt's mousebrained goons.

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**Hola.**

**I am almost at 50 reviews. Oh my god. Thanks guys! **

**Alsooooooooooooooo answer my A/N at the beginning of the chapter.**

**Ciao,**

**-Sky**


	12. AN: You might wanna read this

**I've decided that anybody who is willing to write a spin-off of the missing pieces in this story (not just lemons. Backstories and behind the scenes are ok, too) will get to create an OC in this story.**

**Okay? Chapter 11 is on the way!**


	13. Chapter 11

***puts up force field* Y'all might get kind of angry with me by the end.**

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Seeing the two fearless rogues scramble away made her feel weird inside. They were fierce, trained for war, and yet they feared the cat who called himself Shadow. Being in her position - pregnant, imprisoned, and half-starved - yet defying a cat she knew as Breezepelt and not being killed was quite a feat. Then again, it was probably for her kits-to-come. _Once they're born, _she thought to herself, _I'd better behave._

Ivypool inspected the cats around her, who had come out to see what the commotion was about. Her pathetic guards weren't among them; obviously too cowardly to face a once-scrawny WindClan apprentice. Pathetic.

"What are you doing out of your prison, she-cat?"

She swiveled to face a reddish tom; Fang, if she remembered correctly. There were too many cats who wanted to pick on her recently.

"Shut up and go to the Dark Forest," she growled, walking away. "I'm not in the mood." She needed to escape from this place...

"Hey, Otis! I told you she was lying!"

The two toms from earlier sauntered up, scowls on their faces. They looked ready to tear her apart.

Fang glanced their way, confused. Ivypool smirked up at him. "Tell your boss that these two have less intelligence than a lizard." There was a hiss from the light sandy one. Otis, she guessed.

"Watch your tongue, slave," he growled.

"Oh?" Ivypool mewed sassily, "And I suppose you're _allowed _to hurt me now, hmm? Because your leader no longer cares about supplying kits for the 'Clan?'"

Fang held in a snort of amusement as the daring she-cat continued to antagonize the two arrogant young toms. In his opinion, they were too air-headed for their own good, but even so, he shouldn't encourage the prisoner to insult.

The dark brown tabby sneered and stepped toward Ivypool. "Laugh all you want, but once you're through with your kitting, I'll make sure you regret every word you say." He licked his lips, as if he could taste her blood.

Ivypool snorted. As if! By then she'd be off, running free back to ThunderClan. "I'm sure you will, cherry blossom. I'm _sure_ you will." Chuckling to herself, she trotted off toward her den.

When Ivypool stepped inside, she nearly tripped over Jayfeather, who was up and about. Startled at his quick recovery, she stopped in her tracks, in the entrance tunnel. The thin medicine cat didn't seem fazed by her being there; rather, he was sniffing the air slowly and nodding while thinking. It was like he was inspecting the walls of the cove. There were scratches down his flanks; strange, they weren't there before, as far as Ivypool could recall.

"J-Jayfeather!" Ivypool flustered after regaining her composure. Then she shook her head and hissed in confusion. "Aren't you... startled by your predicament at all?"

The gray tabby shifted his gaze to her, his blind eyes somehow reflecting annoyance. "You mean by you being here with me, with Lionblaze dead, inside the tunnels that Hollyleaf hid in for seasons? Of course, at first I was a bit uncomfortable. But while you went off flirting with rogues I was meeting with your little Dark Forest friend. He was bent on killing me, but our starry ancestors finally decided to play their part. They told me everything that happened."

Ivypool recoiled a bit; it had been a while since she'd heard Jayfeather's sharp tongue. It was nice, though, knowing she could confide in someone. Relaxing, she pressed her nose into his shoulder, and to her surprise, he didn't stiffen.

"I was afraid you had died," she confessed, looking out in the direction where Lionblaze still sat. "After... after he died I was afraid that the Three would be vanquished... forever." Brightening just a bit, she walked past Jayfeather, heading to wake Cinderheart. "Cinderheart told me to wake her up when you gained consciousness," she informed him.

Jayfeather stopped her with his tail. "Stop," he mewed calmly. "Ivypool... I need some answers from you." Turning his head to fix his unseeing eyes into her dark blue ones, he got right to the point. "You need to tell me exactly what your relationship with Hawkfrost is... or rather, was."

The name sent a jolt of hatred through Ivypool. That sick, twisted murderer!

"Relationship... eh?" Ivypool chuckled. "More like, 'do what I say or I'll kill you twice'. Literally."

The medicine cat growled softly, giving her the message to get serious. "Ivypool."

She sighed in aggravation. "I don't want to talk about it," she muttered, flicking her ears and looking away, hoping he'd get the message.

"You need to tell me," he insisted, tone even. "Hawkfrost was acting strangely in my dream. It might be important."

"You don't understand," she countered. "You wouldn't. If I'd tell anybody, I'd tell Cinderheart."

"Tell me what?" a tired sounding voice mewed from the back of the den. _Great..._

"Nothing, Cinderheart," Ivypool meowed, glaring at Jayfeather. She could've sworn she saw him smirk. Oh, she'd claw him later, blind or not.

"Ivypool," they both said in unison. She groaned loudly. Of all the possible things that could have happened today - then again, she'd already been kidnapped, traumatized, and bullied. This wasn't much worse.

"What happened to me is my own business!" she spat. "I'm not one for nostalgia or looking back on mistakes, alright?!"

Jayfeather twitched. "So your relationship with Hawkfrost was a mistake?"

"No!" Ivypool breathed, frustrated. "He used me and lied about it, end of story."

"No, it isn't," Cinderheart interrupted, cutting in to the conversation. "Jayfeather needs to know so we can get out of here!"

Get out? There was a way out? Ivypool blinked. There was a way to escape!

"How?" she asked. Jayfeather exchanged looks with Cinderheart, and the gray queen shrugged at him. Sighing, he muttered a curse under his breath before answering her.

"I want to know what he wants," he replied calmly. "Then we can use it against him, and eventually stop Breezepelt. See, it's like this," he added, when she looked confused, "Breezepelt wants his revenge on people who rejected him. The rogues want power. And Hawkfrost... well, all Bluestar told me was that his motives revolved around you. That and revenge, but you get what I'm saying."

Ivypool's jaw went slack. They'd been planning this... together?

"Then... your dream... before any of this happened..."

"First Leafpool died in my dream. And then she died in the battle. Lionblaze was next, and as we know, he's dead too." He briefly glanced toward Cinderheart to make sure she was emotionally stable. "According to my dream, I'm next. But the strange thing about _you _was that I could see you. Everyone else, it was just their voice. For you, you didn't even make a sound, although you were definitely screaming. There's also the fact that you were bleeding, but never confirmed to be killed."

Ivypool started piecing things together. "So the three of you are Breezepelt's goals, and... and I'm Hawkfrost's?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"But why?!" she yelled, unsheathing her claws. "Why would he go through so much trouble... just to get to me?"

This time Cinderheart spoke up. "Ivypool, you've got many things that make you who you are. First, you're a pretty she-cat. Second, you've got an undying fire in you. That may be why Hawkfrost is obsessed with you... or maybe he's flat out insane. Either way, we're going to stop him."

Ivypool felt lightheaded. Why her? So not only is she captive to a bunch of freaks, but she's got a dead cat stalking her.

"He'd force me to mate with him," she murmured, ignoring Jayfeather's sympathetic, I-saw-this-coming stare and Cinderheart's horror-striken gaze.

"_Who _did _what?"_

Ivypool looked up to the exit where the voice came from.

And froze.

Jasper.

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**Hi. I bet you're all excited for the reunion next chapter... *grins evilly***

**Hope this chapter cleared some stuff up for you.**

**-Sky**


	14. Chapter 12

**Hey guys. So this chapter took so long because I had a hard time trying to pinpoint Jasper's personality. Like, I wasn't sure which would work better with the story.**

**The offer still stands for the one-shot! It doesn't have to be any rating in particular, but if you write something for me, you get to have an OC in this story. So far, tye dye tail and Book Sorceress have agreed! :D**

**xD oh well. Read and review!**

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"What are _you _doing in here?!"

Jasper stood in the entrance to the den, looking at her with a hint of boredom. Not a hair on his neck was ruffled; his light brown pelt was as smooth as water.

He chuckled at Ivypool's murderous look, and jerked his head at Jayfeather. "He invited me."

Bristling, she turned on Jayfeather, who gave a cool shrug. "StarClan said that he'd help us," he replied nonchalantly, staring at her with blind eyes.

Jasper trotted into their circle, purposefully sitting next to Ivypool and winking at her when he heard her snarl. "I must have missed some good gossip. What is this about someone raping you, I wonder?"

"Shut up and leave!" Ivypool spat. "I don't care if Jayfeather told you to come here or not, but you have no right to be here!"

The tom simply licked his paw. "Whatever makes you say that?"

Anger surged through her, and she stood up abruptly. "You deceived me, you manipulative heap of foxdung! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this mess! What did Breezepelt offer you, huh? Power? Protection? Or was it for the free mating session, fox-heart?!" She hissed and unsheathed her claws. Jayfeather remained stoic, Cinderheart watched with wide eyes, and Jasper, unfazed, perked his ears in curiosity.

"Breezepelt?" he laughed. "Is that Shadow's real name? Hah!" Shaking his head, he licked his paw again. "And to answer your question: no, he didn't offer me anything at all. You could say quite the opposite, actually."

"What, you mean he threatened you?" She retorted, rolling her eyes in disbelief.

Jasper glanced at her. "Exactly."

Ivypool snorted. "Yeah, right," she muttered, "Like you couldn't just escape? It's not like you're pregnant or something."

Jayfeather cut in. "Ivypool, they took his sister."

The silver-and-white tabby stopped in the middle of another remark. His sister? _So that means..._

_"_Shadow... or rather, Breezepelt," Jasper corrected, chortling at the name, "kidnapped my sister, Soot. He still has her, actually, in his den on the other side of the river."

"Why would they go through so much trouble to get to you, huh? It's not like you're anything special," Ivypool muttered.

"If you'd let me finish..." he trailed off in response, letting his offer hang in the air. "See, I was known in these parts for being the greatest 'actor' around... whatever that means. I'd travel places with my sister, and we'd perform short skits in exchange for prey. Neither of us had learned how to hunt, or fight. Anyway, word got around to your almighty leader here, and the second I left Soot to talk to my friends, they took her. They said something about 'needing more recruits' and 'stealing kits', and said that they'd keep my sister alive if I would cooperate. That's when I met Shadow. He informed me of what I needed to do, and it just so turns out that you walked by. Obviously, I got right to work, with Soot's life on the line. And that," he finished, with an elegant twirl of his tail, "is the story of how I met you, _dearest Ivypool."_

Ivypool began feeling her anger ebb away, but she refused to be understanding. "Don't expect me to treat you any differently. You'll still be a fox-heart to me," she growled, sitting back down and putting distance between them. "For all I know you could be lying about everything!"

Jasper grinned, draping his tail over her shoulder to see what her reaction would be. He nearly laughed when she bristled and turned red. "You still haven't told me about this physical abuse of yours. Who was it again... something like Hawkfart?"

Jayfeather snickered, and Cinderheart let out a small giggle. However, Ivypool fumed, and swatted his tail away in anger.

"It's my own business!" she snarled. "Now get away from me before I claw your eyes out!" To add emphasis to her words, she lifted her paw and unsheathed her claws.

Jasper brought his face closer to her paw in interest, studying it. "You're missing a claw," he remarked. Straightening, he unsheathed his own paw. Two claws were missing. "I take it you don't stick to the rules, either?"

Ivypool glanced up into his eyes, puzzled. There was no mockery in his green eyes, just laughter. And was that... loneliness? She shook her head when she felt something twinge inside of her, something very similar to the days when she thought Jasper really did love her. Those days were over, she reminded herself.

With no smart comeback, Ivypool shifted away from him, feeling her hatred bubble up again. Narrowing her eyes at him, she hissed in warning. "Stay away from me!"

Jayfeather listened in intently, feeling more entertained than he had been in moons. The normally pessimistic and snappy Ivypool was running out of obscenities to curse! He felt Cinderheart's longing echo beside him. She was probably longing for a companion again; not just any companion, but Lionblaze. He knew that feeling well, but he also knew that when he died, he'd have Half-Moon beside him. The thought of his... lover stirred loneliness in his heart. _How long must I wait?_

_"Ahem," _he cut in, shaking his head in mild amusement, "If you two are quite finished, we have more pressing matters to tend to." He waited until Ivypool stopped growling and twitched an ear. "Now, unless you have your own escape plans, I'd suggest that you listen to me."

Ivypool instantly brightened. Escape plans! They were going to get out of here!

"You have an idea?" she exclaimed a bit loudly, trying to ignore Jasper's aura of narcissism. She'd do anything - _anything! _- to get out of that StarClan forsaken maze. The sooner she got back to ThunderClan, the better.

"My idea," Jayfeather replied, clearing his throat, "is to create a distraction so we can all escape. As you can tell, there are many cats here who think they should take Breezepelt's place. All we have to do is get them together and schedule a 'rebellion'; Jasper, you'll find 'recruits' and gather them somewhere during the next full moon. Then, give them a little pep talk; act like an arrogant leader who'll deliver victory into their paws. Then, once they attack, you retreat quietly and get us. There should be no guards, because they'll be fighting. We grab your sister, and sneak out as they tear themselves apart."

"That sounds brilliant!" Cinderheart squeaked. Ivypool rolled her eyes, but smiled; she was glad that the she-cat was acting herself again.

Jasper groomed his shoulder fur and puffed out his chest. "How's this for an arrogant leader?" he growled in a gruff voice. Ivypool couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Jasper, hearing her amusement, crept closer to her, grinning. "What's this?" he mewed, still in character, "She does have a soul after all!" Ivypool groaned and pushed his face away with a paw. She would have cuffed him again, if she hadn't caught Cinderheart and Jayfeather exchanging bemused glances.

"What?" she demanded.

"They're just surprised that you've fallen for me so quickly," Jasper meowed, bowing extravagantly. He straightened, smirking as he looked into her blue eyes. "It's my eyes, isn't it?" he asked, leaning closer.

Ivypool gagged in response, smacking his face with her paw. "I told you to stay away from me, idiot!"

"Hey," a deep voice growled from the entrance. "Jasper, stop flirting with the prisoner and get your tail over here. Shadow wants to see you." A white tom poked his head into the den.

Jasper nodded, got up, and walked out of the den, not even looking back at the other cats. As his tail disappeared from sight, Ivypool turned back to Jayfeather and Cinderheart, who were still looking at her with amusement. She snarled.

"Stop it!" she spat. "You guys are pathetic!" In a foul mood, she stomped to her uncomfortable nest and settled in. Stupid Jayfeather and his stupid StarClan. Stupid Cinderheart and her stupid kindness. Stupid Jasper and his stupid... everything.

Damn him. Damn. Damn. Damn! How dare he waltz back in here like the prince of everything! After everything he did... Stupid jerk! Damn idiot! Ugly piece of misshapen, flea-infested, maggot-brained, half-rotten, mangy, dirty, fox-faced crowfood!

Damn!

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**I bet you were kind of expecting that, huh? **

**Oh well. Reviews are greatly appreciated. :)**

**-Sky**


	15. Chapter 13

**Hello, and welcome to Chapter 13!**

**A message to cinnamonstarbucks: Lol I'm glad you like the ship… xD**

**A message to Ruby: Please comment something other than "cool" every chapter...**

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Ivypool stalked forward, trying to keep her tail from twitching. The juicy looking mouse was nibbling on a seed a few tail-length ahead, oblivious to its predator. Stepping lightly, she began to close the distance between her and her prey. She could practically taste its blood on her tongue.

"Twenty-eight… Twenty-nine… Thirty…"

She perked her ears. Someone was… counting? But who?

Shaking her head, she began to stalk the mouse again, trying to concentrate over the annoying sound.

"Thirty-two, Thirty-three, Thirty-four… _Thirty-five!" _The voice continued, emphasizing the last number.

"Damn it!" A loud hiss from nowhere made Ivypool's meal notice her and run. In confusion and anger, Ivypool lifted her head and searched for what had made her lose her catch.

Suddenly she felt the ground fall away beneath her paws. She let out a shriek, trying to scrabble away from impending doom, but she fell away into the abyss.

"Thirty-nine… Forty… Forty-one… Forty-two… Forty-three…"

Ivypool opened her eyes groggily. She was staring at the wall. Oh yes. She was a prisoner… how wonderful. Suddenly she became distinctly aware of someone pressed against her side. Were they there the whole time?

Lazily, she lifted her head and tried to focus on the blurred shape beside her. Blinking the sleep away, she saw the light tabby pelt of Jasper.

"Forty-five… Forty-six… Forty-seven… Forty-eight…"

Her eyes popped out of her head in shock and she jumped up, hissing. What? When did that idiot get in here?

"Get the hell out of my nest, flea-pelt!" she spat, unsheathing her claws. Jasper had a triumphant glow in his eyes as he ignored her and turned to Cinderheart and Jayfeather.

"Fifty-two seconds, Jay-Jay. I win," he grinned, stretching. Ivypool, seethed and glared at him.

Jayfeather groaned in defeat. "That took longer than I thought it would," he muttered, adding an inaudible curse. Cinderheart laughed and cuffed Jayfeather playfully_._

"I told you that it's not good to be betting," she taunted. "Now you have to tell us who your first love was."

Ivypool bristled. "What are you guys talking about?" she half-asked, half-growled. "And I told you to get out of my nest!" she snapped.

Jasper rolled his eyes good-humoredly and snuggled himself deeper into the moss. "No thanks," he yawned, turning over so his stomach faced upwards. "It's really comfortable."

Anger began to bubble through her pelt, and she took a calming breath to keep from ripping his fur off. "It's my nest. And I want you out!"

"Hey, it's alright!" He winked at her and patted the space next to him with a paw. "We can always share it, you know."

Ivypool snapped and raised her paw to claw him, when suddenly Cinderheart pushed her from behind, knocking her into the annoying fur-ball. Yelping, she tried to right herself, but her paw slipped and she ended up on top of him. "Cinderheart!" She hissed, but she only got a chortle in return.

Jasper chuckled and crawled out from underneath her, shaking his pelt. "I meant it as a joke, but it's nice to know that you're so eager," he laughed, amused by her furious and flustered expression. He stretched lazily, showing off his sleek fur. "Well, it is to be expected, with me being so handsome and all," he added, swishing his tail.

Ivypool growled. "No one said you were, frog-face," she muttered. The thing was, Jasper was quite handsome. Of course she'd never admit it, because it would only inflate his ego. And it didn't mean she liked him. No, those days were lo-ong gone. She would never, ever love that narcissistic cockroach for as long as she lived!

"Now, now, don't get so uptight, _darling," _he taunted, tapping her nose with a paw. She hissed and recoiled at his touch. "You and I both know that I'm the prettiest tom in BreezeClan!"

"BreezeClan?" Ivypool gagged, ignoring his pompous remark.

Jasper shrugged. "Just a name I came up with. I mean, we can't just call it _RogueClan_ or something."

"Fair enough," she agreed, rolling her eyes. Then she growled. "Now get out of my nest!"

Cinderheart stepped between the two, trying to hold back from laughing. "Honestly, you two sound like Firestar and Sandstorm together!"

"What?!" Ivypool snapped, bristling. Jasper cocked his head to the side.

"Who's Firestar?" he asked, curious.

"He's dead, that's what." Jayfeather cut in. "And we will be too if we don't start figuring out our plan. We only have two more days until the full moon."

"If we don't hurry, my kits will come while I'm still here," Cinderheart added, glancing at Ivypool.

Jayfeather gathered the cats together with a swoop of his tail. "Listen up," he whispered. "Last time we met, I forgot about Molepaw. We need to rescue him, too. Which means, when we put our plan into action, we need to split up. It'll be more dangerous, but we can't leave him in there."

"Where are they keeping him?" Ivypool questioned, eager to learn more. She kneaded her claws in the dirt anxiously.

"I walked in his dreams last night," he continued, "and he was being held in the den farthest from the exit. After Jasper rallies up the rogues and starts the skirmish, he'll dash away quietly and give us the signal. I'll go and get Molepaw with Cinderheart, just in case anything happens with her kits. Ivypool, since you're not expecting for at least another quarter moon, you'll go with Jasper to free his sister."

Ivypool stifled a growl of distaste, but nodded. Then, remembering something, she spoke up again.

"Hawkfrost! What do we do about him? He's going to try and keep us here, and we have enough enemies to begin with!" she hissed, frustrated.

Jayfeather shook his head. "It'll be alright, Ivypool. I've spoken with StarClan about helping us while we escape."

Suddenly Jasper blinked and stood up. "Hold up!" he mewed. "You're telling me that a bunch of _spirits _are going to help us?"

"Of course, dimwit!" Ivypool spat. "Who else?"

Tension hung over the cats, and it was clear that Jasper didn't believe in spirits. Cinderheart opened her mouth to break the ice, but Jayfeather beat her to it.

"It's alright if you don't believe," he meowed, strain in his voice. "As long as you do your part, we can all go free."

Jasper hesitated, as if he wanted to add more, but he just turned away and studied the wall before stalking away toward the exit.

"I'll go get some recruits," he muttered over his shoulder.

Ivypool glared at his retreating form. "Frog-breath," she cursed.

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**henh…. Sorry about the fluff in the beginning...**

**So this chapter was pretty much a filler, kay? Just to let you know, the real action won't start until later. ;)**

**Well, then. Let me go think of more ways to break your hearts. Hmm… *sips tea***

**((Ten reviews for next chapter))**

**-Sky**


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